fantasma-games-adds-more-muscle-to-qtech-games’-premier-platform

Fantasma Games adds more muscle to QTech Games’ premier platform

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Asia’s No.1 distributor further enhances its high-quality offering with prized portfolio from NASDAQ First North-listed studio

QTech Games, the number-one games distributor across Asia and all emerging markets, has announced its latest high-quality supplier alliance with Stockholm-based studio, Fantasma Games.

Under the terms of the agreement, Fantasma Games’ full content suite of next generation slots is now available to QTech Games clients and their players.

Fantasma Games has created some of the more memorable titles on the market, like the recently launched ELEMENTO or the popular Heroes Hunt (Megaways) and Maze Escape (Megaways), pushing the boundaries of slots creativity and volatility with the latest graphics and maths models that propel the player experience into the modern world.

This ever-evolving production line underscores QTech Games’ diverse domain of gaming verticals, providing a comprehensive one-stop shop, QTech ONE, which has fast-become the “go-to” solution for worldwide operators across developing territories.

The agreement also widens Fantasma Games’ global influence, opening up margin markets from Asia and Eastern Europe to Latin America, and driving new revenues. QTech’s partners will now benefit from Fantasma’s signature “slots beyond gambling” ethos, improving player engagement for reliable retention in an increasingly competitive space.

As the fastest-growing distributor in Asia over the past few years, QTech’s platform offers the broadest gaming portfolio around, localised for each region, with native mobile apps, powerful reporting and marketing tools, and 24/7 local-language support.

QTech Games CCO, Ulf Norder, said: “We’re delighted to have teamed up with our long-standing friends at Fantasma Games, whose visually stunning and varied games always deliver. Our modus operandi is to continue adding premium content to QTech’s premier platform, coupled to our market-leading tech which accelerates growth. As a result, this timely collaboration provides another compelling case in point.

“We look forward to seeing how their games perform across a range of regions which, in certain instances, break new ground for them. QTech Games’ propriety technology means we’re the only aggregator that is not just delivering fantastic games but also updating engaging in-game features and tools which are constantly being upgraded and refined. It’s helped us carve out a unique position in the aggregation space at a time when many others are struggling to adapt and positively delineate themselves in the changing landscape.”

Fredrik Johansson, founder and Commercial Director of Fantasma Games AB (Publ.), said: “We’ve been reinvigorating the slots space with deeper gaming experiences for a while. Teaming up with QTech represents a great chance to widen our product distribution across emerging territories and deliver our fantastic content to a range of top-tier partners. Entering into this agreement is in line with our core strategy to maximize our reach. We can’t wait to see how our games will be received by new audiences. Exiting times ahead!”

Earlier this year, QTech Games broke further ground as the leading distributor across emerging markets with the launch of an industry-first, cross-supplier rewards feature, Network Progressive Jackpot, unpacking a cutting-edge acquisition and retention toolbox for its global partners.

leading-ea-sports-fifa-online-4-players-to-compete-in-epremier-league-china

Leading EA SPORTS FIFA Online 4 players to compete in ePremier League China

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The Premier League, in partnership with Tencent Sports, Tencent Gaming and EA SPORTS, is launching ePremier League China later this month, the first ePremier League event to be staged outside the UK.

Some of the best Chinese gamers on EA SPORTS FIFA Online 4 will represent all 20 Premier League clubs alongside hand-picked content creators and influencers. They will compete together in a group stage to determine who reaches the finals in May. The tournament will be streamed live by Tencent across China and kicks off on Wednesday 28 April.

Premier League Commercial Director Will Brass said: “The EA SPORTS FIFA Online 4 video game series is one of the key channels through which fans in Asia can engage with Premier League clubs and players. After three successful ePremier League seasons in the UK, it is exciting to now be able to take this overseas for the first time and particularly to China – a hotbed for gaming and football.

“We are looking forward to working closely with EA SPORTS and our broadcast partner Tencent Sports to showcase some of the world’s best gamers in action. I am sure it will prove popular with the loyal and passionate supporters of Premier League clubs in China.”

Matches will be played on EA SPORTS FIFA Online 4 (FO4) on PC, which has more than 10 million registered players in China. Each of the 20 Premier League clubs will be represented in the tournament by two local players – one high-ranking gamer on the FO4 leader board and one influencer.

This will include famous esports commentator Guan Zeyuan and the well-known FIFA Online influencer Shen Rongjie.

The clubs will be divided into four groups of five teams, with the winners of each group advancing to a knockout stage. Group-stage matches will be played online, whereas knockout matches will be played offline at Wisdom Bay in Shanghai.

Group matches will take place between Wednesday 28 April and Saturday 8 May. The knockout phase will be held on Friday 14 May, with the Grand Final on Saturday 15 May.

The ePremier League China tournament will further complement the Premier League’s digital offerings in the country, where it has more than eight million followers across its digital and social platforms.

The tournament is being broadcast on Tencent Sports, Tencent Video and Tencent News. It will also be available on Huya, Douyu and Yizhibo.

trinity-gaming-joins-hands-with-sports-communication-firm-artsmith-to-create-career-awareness-in-gaming-and-esports-ecosystem

Trinity Gaming joins hands with sports communication firm Artsmith to create career awareness in gaming and esports ecosystem

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Trinity Gaming—India’s top gaming talent management company, has signed sports communication agency Artsmith to create awareness among the gamers & influencers wanting to pursue a career in gaming content creations and how they can monetise and create a brand for themselves. With this partnership, the country’s one of the top new age communication firms Artsmith, which specialised in sports and esports PR, has added Trinity Gaming to their esports bouquet of the client list.

Currently managing more than 250 top content creators in India, Trinity Gaming has successfully established a strong platform for these specialised gamers and has transformed them into entertainers and influencers who bring much more value than just merely playing in the gaming ecosystem. The company, which was founded in 2019, has channelised the passion for gaming among millennial gamers and transformed it into a viable career option for many. Committed to bringing professionalism to the ecosystem, they have been one of the first movers in the sector and currently curate content for some of India’s top brands.

Commenting on the tie-up, Abhishek Aggarwal, Co-Founder & CEO of Trinity Gaming, said: “Gaming is all about passion and there are some brilliant minds with amazing ability to create content and these creators did not have the right backing and a strong voice to understand how to create values or a career out of it. We saw an opportunity to create a unique support system where not only the talents are groomed but also amalgamate with brands. According to the recently released EY FICCI 2021 report, online gamers grew 20% from 300 million in 2019 to 360 million in 2020. The numbers themselves validate how big is the community is. The potential is unlimited but creating a strong awareness programme is equally necessary to optimise the opportunities and I personally believe Artsmith has all the necessary experience to roll out this narrative among the gaming community.”

Artsmith, as an agency, brings in years of experience and expertise in creating an innovative mix of PR and digital communication that is innovative and value for money. “Artsmith has the experience and understanding of handholding talents and building a strong brand positioning with maximum visibility. We have worked with top Indian athletes and worked closely to transform them into sustainable content creators as well as influencers and we are confident of positioning Trinity Gaming as a new-age talent management firm with the efficiency of elevating gamers on similar lines and create India’s largest brands story experiences,” said Udita, the Founding Principal of Artsmith.

Artsmith has been successfully managing communications for global sports brands like PUMA as well as creating communications for international and national sporting events and sports leagues in the country. The company has the exclusive communication mandate for premium sports tournaments with Tata Open Maharashtra, India Open—the country’s only Superseries badminton tournament organised by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) being some of the key clients in the roster.

mplay-signs-important-deal-with-solid-gaming

Mplay signs important deal with Solid Gaming

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The game studio Mplay Games has recently signed an agreement with Solid Gaming to distribute their games. Mplay is a fast growing game studio focusing on premium casino games for the Asian market and India in particular. The games are built with interactive functions to give the players a whole new game experience.

With popular Indian games like Ludo Express and Jhandi Munda, Mplay has delivered the only real money games of their kind in the market today. With the very popular Indian game Teen Patti Champion they have created a brilliant version that will be loved by the Indian gamers and for sure set Mplay apart from other Indian inspired game developers.

Aiming to reach a wider audience for their games, MPlay’s deal with Solid Gaming is the key to reaching first and foremost the large and important asian market.

Solid Gaming is welcoming the additional games for operators aiming for a greater presence in India.

japan’s-draft-casino-regulations-list-nine-games-to-be-permitted

Japan’s Draft Casino Regulations List Nine Games to be Permitted

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Japan’s Casino Regulatory Commission has listed nine casino games that will be permitted to operate inside the nation’s casinos, with traditional Japanese games such as pachinko, pachislot and mahjong all notable exclusions.

The nine games, contained within the Casino Regulatory Commission’s draft regulations, include 21 variants of games currently banned in Japan but set to be legalised as part of the government’s IR development plans.

The nine games are listed as baccarat (2 types), blackjack (4 types), poker (8 types), Sic Bo, craps, Casino War, money wheel and pai gow, plus electronic games.

Public feedback on the draft regulations will be accepted until May 9. After that, final casino regulations will be decided.

wanyoo-plans-to-extend-esports-center-franchise-business-to-more-countries

Wanyoo Plans to Extend eSports Center Franchise Business to More Countries

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Wanyoo is going to develop its eSports center franchise business in Italy, Germany, France and Japan. It now owns more than 1000 stores across China, America, UK, Australia, Singapore and Canada.

Wanyoo started its very first internet café in Shanghai in 1998. To make offline internet entertainment space more enjoyable for game players around the world, Wanyoo evolved internet café to eSports center. Rather than simply provide internet services in a café, the idea of eSports center is to provide e-sports players a complex of video games, food and beverage, games-related events and a social space. By the end of 2020, Wanyoo eSports centers have serviced more than 40 million players globally.

Through Wanyoo’s global partners and players, it continues to exert its international influence by actively cooperates with eSports teams, international and domestic tournaments and video game publishers. The two well-known esports teams IG and 4AM have been endorsing Wanyoo for years. Wanyoo also achieved partnership with PGI.S.2021. In 2019, Wanyoo Gaming Center became the exclusive partner of LOL NATIONAL NETBAR LEAGUE CHINA. The same year, Wanyoo held the first international Wanyoo eSports center league covered Wanyoo players from New York, London, Singapore and so on. Wanyoo and its stores also value local partnerships. In the UK, Wanyoo sponsored the LOL tournament of CSSA UK 2019. In Canada, the Wanyoo eSports center assisted local college to establish esports team.

In addition to where Wanyoo comes from, there are 12 Wanyoo eSports centers in America, Britain, Canada, Australia and Singapore. These stores endeavour to provide local game lovers the most enjoyable playing space. In the next 3 years, Wanyoo plans to run 50 stores outside of China in total.

paradise-co-appoints-choi-sung-wook-as-its-new-ceo

Paradise Co Appoints Choi Sung-wook as its New CEO

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South Korean casino operator Paradise Co has appointed Choi Sung-wook as its new CEO. He will join the board having served most recently as CEO of the Paradise casino in Busan and replace Park Byung-ryong on an initial two-year term.

The company currently operates four foreigner-only casinos in the nation; Paradise City, Paradise Walkerhill, Busan Casino and Jeju Grand. The latter reported a loss of $100m in 2020, as international travel bans in place throughout most of the year proved detrimental.

Half of Korea’s 16 foreigner-only casinos are located on the island of Jeju, and between them saw a 65% year-on-year revenue drop to KRW69.30bn ($61.5m).

Choi will have much to contend with in his new role, but can take a small amount of solace from the recent announcement that Korean casino operators will not have to make obligatory sales tax payments for at least 12 months.

The reprieve will be a welcome one in the short term, but either the opening of all venues to locals or a drop in international travel restrictions will be necessary for the market to return to a profitable state.

psg-esports-extends-its-partnership-with-betway

PSG Esports Extends its Partnership with Betway

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PSG Esports, the gaming division of French football club Paris Saint-Germain, has extended and expanded its partnership with Betway Group.

The agreement sees Betway designated as the Main Partner for PSG.LGD, for at least 1 year. Betway will also join PSG Esports’ wider operations as Official Betting Partner.

The partnership is amongst the most significant to date in the Esports sector. It is also a continuation of the existing successful collaboration between PSG.LGD and Betway, which kicked off in 2018.

“We are thrilled to extend and expand upon our existing partnership with Betway, who has been an excellent supporter of our Esports efforts and the PSG.LGD team in particular for nearly 2 years now. Through our existing relationship, Betway has proven itself to be an organization that really understands the gaming community, and together we are looking forward to innovating and delivering truly unique and exclusive experiences to our fans together,” Fabien Allègre, Paris Saint-Germain’s Director of Brand Diversification, who oversees the Club’s Esports operations, said.

“We’re delighted to renew our partnership with PSG.LGD’s legendary DOTA 2 team. Our relationship has gone from strength to strength and it’s been a very successful sponsorship for us. We’re now very excited to be able to take it to the next level,” Paul Adkins, Operations and Marketing Director at Betway, said.

india’s-first-ever-one-stop-online-esports-platform-ultimate-battle-is-now-on-google-play-store

India’s first-ever one-stop online esports platform Ultimate Battle is now on Google Play Store

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Ultimate Battle, India’s first-ever one-stop online Esports platform is now available on Google PlayStore for the Android users. The freshly launched app of the platform will facilitate easier connectivity and accessibility for users and leverage the power of the mobile-first ecosystem of the country.

According to a joint report published by the Indian Cellular and Electronics Association and the consulting firm KPMG, by 2022, India’s smartphone base will reach 820 million active users. This clearly highlights the ability of mobile gaming to push a wider audience from India’s still untapped markets towards esports. Esports especially in rural India saw a huge boost because of the digitalization penetration most youngsters have access to mobile.

In India, around 90% of gamers as per market estimation use mobile devices. The Ultimate Battle App will provide gamers with a convenient way to participate in esports events and stay connected to the gaming community on the go. To meet the needs of gamers, the app will also include a content segment with the most recent gaming news as well as other gameplay-related content. It is a small app and do not use lot of data or resources.

Commenting on the launch of the app, Tarun Gupta, Founder Ultimate Battle said, “Ultimate Battle was created keeping in mind a mix of all sorts of gamers and their taste in various games. We wanted to provide the easiest accessibility to our users. Now, with the launch of the app, people can experience the same 360 degree experience while being on the move. We intend on bring in similar features in the future for the IOS users as well and make this a truly holistic esports platform, for everyone to access and play on.”

With instant alerts and match announcements, as well as easy access to the gaming network, the Ultimate Battle App can aid in coordinated gameplay. Users can play for free on Ultimate Battle and win prizes as well as gain recognition in the gaming community. Players have multiple opportunities to showcase their skills with various avenues of engagement such as Daily Tournaments, challenges, and Leaderboard events, which helps bud new talent for the Indian esports scene. The app currently has popular esports titles like Call of Duty, Garena Free Fire, Valorant, FIFA20, CS: GO, DOTA2, Fortnite including Chess, which has topped gamer’s preferences.

nagasaki-says-ban-on-stakeholders-participating-in-other-japan-ir-bids-is-an-“original”-nagasaki-rule

Nagasaki Says Ban on Stakeholders Participating in Other Japan IR bids is an “Original” Nagasaki Rule

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Nagasaki prefecture has defended its stance on not allowing anyone holding a minimum 5% stake in the local IR bid to bid on other locations, by saying it was an original rule.

Nagasaki prefecture recently narrowed down its possible IR partners to three operators: Casinos Austria International Japan, the Niki & Chyau Fwu (Parkview) Group and the Oshidori Consortium. The Nagasaki government then issued a statement saying, “After submission of second round evaluation documents in June 2021, any investing company that will hold a 5% or more share of the applicant group’s Special Purpose Company cannot be an investing company for another concurrent bid in a different IR development and operation public tender in Japan.”

The 5% rule by Nagasaki prefecture was based on unprecedented advice from legal counsel and other parties employed for the request for proposal and other processes.

Meanwhile, Yokohama prefecture, which is also bidding for one of Japan’s IR spots, is facing difficulty with anti-IR groups and a lack of a concise plan. However, the Yokohama City Council approved its annual budget for IR development expenses, including JPY360m ($3.3m) for IR promotion. Those opposing the IR argued that citizen consent should be obtained before moving forward.